Chapter 263

“I-I’m sorry,” Hiresia relayed the World Tree’s apology as I sat, dazed, trying to regain my composure.

“I-It’s okay. I’m actually happy that you’re so affectionate.”

I forced a smile, showing 100% respect to my large and mighty future mother-in-law (?), unable to utter a single complaint.

Anyone would do the same.

How could I be rude, especially to someone so large and mighty?

“Ugh?!”

My words seemed to please the World Tree again, as its massive branches, more like steel pillars, moved towards me.

I flinched.

“Mom! Stop touching him so carelessly!”

Fortunately, the elf senior intervened with her filial piety (?) and saved me.

The World Tree’s branches froze.

I wiped the sweat off my brow.

“S-She’s quite touchy, ahahaha.”

“There’s a limit to everything, right?”

…No, I wouldn’t say “yes” if you asked me that.

“Haha… Well, it’s understandable. I get it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, yes.”

“But you could get seriously hurt.”

“…”

She probably meant it as a joke, but it didn’t sound like one to me.

I had genuinely felt my life flash before my eyes after that one hit.

I forced an awkward smile.

“Come on, you’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“…”

“…”

“…Haha, I’m really, really fine, but I think I’ve had enough physical contact for now. I’ve already felt your warm heart, Mother. Abundantly, ahahaha.”

I tried to politely ask her to restrain herself, for the sake of my life.

Fortunately, she wasn’t completely unreasonable.

She extended a branch apologetically…

Huh?

Why, why is she extending it again…?

But this time, the elf senior didn’t stop her with her filial piety.

Instead, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“She wants to offer you some fruit as a token of apology.”

Fruit?

Fruit from the World Tree?

Isn’t that something amazing?

I had a feeling it was something special.

Even the name sounded like a unique item.

It would be strange if it didn’t have a description like “HP +20” when you ate it.

And then,

Something dropped from the branch.

A bright red fruit, like a ripe apple.

But it was at least twice the size of a watermelon.

It was probably considered small for the World Tree, though.

Anyway, this was the fruit of the World Tree…

“Mom! Why are you giving him an unripe one?!”

“…”

“Have you become so self-absorbed that your intelligence has deteriorated?”

“…”

The elf senior’s relentless filial piety.

She was a true filial daughter.

If everyone in the world was as filial as her, families would crumble, society would collapse…

“Huh? You mean humans like unripe fruit? Really?”

“Well, even so, ripe ones are better…”

“No, they’re not.”

“…”

The World Tree shook its branches apologetically again.

Another fruit fell.

A golden fruit, so bright it was dazzling.

It looked completely different from the previous one.

But,

It looked so golden that I wasn’t sure about the texture…

“Finally, you picked a good one. Here, take it. Mom says to enjoy it.”

“Yes, thank you. But how do I eat…”

*Tap, tap.*

A branch nudged the Turtle Sword on my waist.

Did she think it was a fruit knife because she was so big?

…How could I cut a fruit with the sword that had killed several dwarves just yesterday?

I almost voiced my complaint, but the sight of the World Tree’s thick branches instilled some manners in me, and my mouth shut automatically.

“Ah… I see. That’s how I should do it.”

I nodded awkwardly and drew my sword.

*Swish!*

*Thwack!*

I closed my eyes and sliced the golden fruit in half.

It should be fine, I had washed it thoroughly in running water yesterday.

Yeah, it should be fine.

I looked at the sliced fruit of the World Tree.

The flesh was also golden.

It wasn’t just sprinkled with gold dust, it was like the entire fruit was made of gold.

But what mattered was the taste.

I took a bite.

“Oh?”

My eyes widened.

It tasted like a refreshing soda.

And it was perfectly sweet.

It was addictively delicious, like human food.

*Munch, munch.*

I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I devoured the fruit of the World Tree, filling my empty stomach.

The elf senior smiled softly, seemingly pleased with my appetite.

“You look so happy eating it. Go on, don’t hold back, eat Mother’s life.”

“Pfft?!”

I choked on the fruit, my face contorted in shock.

W-What did she just say?

M-Mother’s life?

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“W-What did you just…”

“What? I said to eat Mother’s life.”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Why was she suddenly turning this into a grim fairy tale?!

I raised my hand.

“I-I thought you said it was fruit…”

“Ah, right. But that fruit is filled with Mother’s life force, so it’s the same thing.”

“…”

The World Tree shook its branches in agreement.

…This mother and daughter were too much for me to handle.

“Come on, eat up.”

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The mother and daughter urged me on.

“Ugh.”

I ended up eating the entire fruit of the World Tree, my stomach about to burst.

* * *

-You have consumed the Life Fruit of the World Tree.

-The life force of the primordial tree is rapidly absorbed into your body.

-Your vitality has increased.

-All your resistances have increased.

-You can now withstand more damage from all types of wounds.

-You can now withstand more serious injuries.

-You can now withstand fatal injuries for a slightly longer time.

They say good fortune follows hardship.

And after enduring hardship, good fortune had indeed fallen upon me.

Vitality and resilience, crucial attributes in dangerous situations.

Messages popped up before my eyes, informing me that these attributes, which were nearly impossible to increase except through natural growth, had been enhanced.

As expected, the fruit of the World Tree was a top-tier unique item.

I finally smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

…Even though my stomach felt like it was about to explode.

“Mom is pleased that you enjoyed it.”

“Ugh… Well… Of course I did…”

Ugh, my stomach was so full that I could barely speak.

But I still managed to force a smile.

I couldn’t show my discomfort to my future mother-in-law, who had generously shared her life force with me.

“But Mom seems very sleepy…”

Oh, please go back to sleep.

“This is a good time to show her our oath.”

Hiresia said in a serious tone.

“Oath?”

“Yes, the oath of love. It’s our tradition, passed down since ancient times. If you truly love someone, you swear your love before Mother.”

The elf senior was speaking without her usual shyness.

I could tell that she had made up her mind.

Or perhaps…

‘She invited me to the forest for this.’

I finally understood why she had been so hesitant to bring it up.

The snowball effect of my forced vegetarian dinner invitation.

‘Could that have been a hidden requirement for her character route?’

…Nah, that couldn’t be possible.

What were the chances of her forcing me to eat vegetarian food at that specific moment?

Anyway, I hid my embarrassment and replied, “Ah… I see.”

“This is your last chance. Tell me if you don’t want to.”

Hiresia was saying things she didn’t mean.

Her ears twitched, as if she was uncomfortable even uttering those words.

I couldn’t help but reach out and touch her ear.

“Eek?!”

Hiresia’s face turned bright red.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Ah… Well, that’s my answer.”

“A-Answer?”

“I want to be the person who can touch your ears for the rest of my life.”

Wasn’t that a pretty good answer, considering I had come up with it on the spot?

…Even though it was incredibly embarrassing.

“Ugh…”

The elf senior was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even look at me.

*Tap, tap.*

The World Tree’s branches nudged me again.

I couldn’t understand what it was saying, but it seemed like approval.

Maybe I could get along with my future mother-in-law after all…?

I felt encouraged.

“Let’s do it then, sen… I mean, Hiresia.”

I corrected myself, realizing that I should address her by name in this situation.

“Y-Yes, M-Max…”

The elf senior was still blushing.

My face was also burning, but I tried to take the lead for once.

It was comfortable being led by my noona girlfriends, but I couldn’t always be the passive one, right?

I took Hiresia’s hand.

“Is there a specific procedure?”

“L-Let’s go to Mother’s trunk.”

“Alright.”

I led Hiresia towards the World Tree’s trunk.

It was so massive and thick that we felt like grains of sand.

The wonder of nature.

I couldn’t help but feel reverent.

Hiresia also seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“Now, place your hand on Mother’s trunk…”

“Okay.”

I extended our joined hands.

*Touch.*

The cool, solid feel of the trunk met my hand.

And yet, there was a strange sense of softness and comfort, perhaps just my imagination.

“Then what?”

“Ah, we make our oath.”

“Is there a specific format?”

“No, you just have to recite your oath.”

“I see. Should I go first?”

“Go ahead.”

“Okay.”

I thought for a moment and then spoke in a clear voice, “I, Max Celtrine, swear before Mother that I will live happily ever after with my beloved Hiresia.”

To live happily ever after.

There was nothing more important than that.

Especially in this game world.

That’s why I made that oath with all my heart.

Hoping that it would come true.

And then, after a moment of silence, Hiresia spoke in a determined voice.

Huh?

Determined?

“Mom, I’m going to be honest with you now.”

“?”

“He’s a very popular man with women, and I’m not the only one.”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”

I felt like I was going to throw up the World Tree fruit I had just eaten.

T-To say that in front of my future mother-in-law…

I felt an instinctive sense of danger, but fortunately, the World Tree just listened quietly to its daughter’s words.

But I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.

“But I can’t give up on him. Because I truly love him. And I trust him. I can’t monopolize his love, and it’s my fault anyway, so I have to accept it. I almost became a mistress.”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!”

I… I can’t breathe…

“But thankfully, everything worked out, so don’t worry. We’ll live happily ever after, despite all the ups and downs. We can do it. Because I believe in the power of love. I’m not worried about the obstacles of reality. We’ll figure it out.”

The elf senior’s bold declaration.

“Then…”

Hiresia whispered in my ear,

“W-We seal it with a k-kiss…”

Her voice was suddenly filled with shyness.

…Well, it was understandable, considering what she had just said.

“O-Okay.”

I swallowed nervously and gathered my courage.

Because I knew this was an important moment.

I slowly leaned in towards Hiresia.

Our eyes met.

Her eyes were trembling.

Mine were probably doing the same.

I reached out and gently pulled her closer by the back of her head.

And then I softly pressed my lips against hers.

My heart pounded in my chest.

Our first kiss.

The ritual that sealed our important oath of love was complete.

* * *

-You have fulfilled Hiresia’s clear condition.

-Hiresia is in love with you.

-Current number of women in love with you: 1. Fame: 621.

-Your unique trait, Lust, has been activated, greatly increasing your heroism.